Lenten Reflection #5: Jesus Listens
“Then Jesus replied, “I assure you: The Son is not able to do anything on His own, but only what He sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, the Son also does these things in the same way.” (John 5:19, HCSB)
Jesus listens. These two words don’t appear together in the New Testament. However, there are many verses which describe a relationship in which Jesus listens to His Heavenly Father and obeys Him. There are times when Jesus goes to pray – presumably to listen to God and follow His instruction. He spends time in prayer before His crucifixion, and while listening to His Heavenly Father, He obeys God to the point of death on the cross.
The phrase reminds me of a advertising campaign for the Christian radio station KSBJ in Houston, Texas in the 1990s. All over Houston, there were billboards which said: God listens. During the time it ran, the number of people who listened to KSBJ doubled.
Jesus is just as effective in listening to us as He is to His Heavenly Father. He listens when we pray. He takes an interest in each and everyone of us. We just need to come to Him in prayer.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In